Always on the Run
by rosalindme
Summary: A story revolving around Dani Elkins, a decent hunter and a not very talented psychic. Featuring characters and circumstances from the wide universe created by the show runners.
1. Prologue

**A/N- Ok, first of all, I own very little. Certainly not the rights to any characters or stories from ANY television show. The original characters however are mine.**

**Secondly, this is not a self insertion fic. I simply felt like there weren't enough female characters in the world of the show that live very long and thought I would add one. I hope to explore the universe of the show with several of the supporting characters and Sam and Dean making appearances from time to time. This story starts roughly a year before the show.**

**Thirdly, I hope this is enjoyed. Suggestions for story ideas and thoughts on what could be improved are always welcome.**

**Finally, but most importantly, thank you for reading.**

Prologue-

Danielle Elkins was pretty damn sure she was about to die. She was out of salt and she cursed as she ran down the hallway of the stupid house she was in, shoving the kids in front of her. They got to the kitchen and she slammed the door behind them, "Look for salt!"

The ten year old made it as far as the counter and stopped there, holding the hand of the younger girl, their eyes wide with terror. Dani moved past them and started opening cabinet doors in her fruitless search for salt. She found a shaker of Mrs. Dash and threw it to the ground in frustration.

The little girl's whimpers drew her attention and she grasped the handle of the heavy cast iron skillet that was sitting on the stove as she spun around. She was satisfied to see the spook smoke out of existence and kept her eyes peeled as she herded the children towards the back door, her hands held out in front of her gripping the pan by the handle like a baseball bat.

She turned to look out at the frantic faces of the parents of the two children she was trying to keep alive and gestured at them to move back. Once they finally did she swung the pan high in an arch as hard as she could and brought it down on the window in the door, that action had no effect whatsoever on the glass, but the shock of the impact did reverberate through her and she an insane memory of an old looney-tunes cartoon flash through her mind before she turned to face the ghost again, her arms feeling limp like wet noodles.

The ghost stood in front of her and twisted it's head grotesquely before lunging towards her and the two children that were huddled behind her. She closed her eyes and had the brief thought that she really wasn't ready to die when the thing let out an unearthly howl and she opened one eye to see it seem to burn from the inside out before popping out of existence.

Dani sat heavily down against the wall and looked on dazedly as the door finally opened and the horrified parents clutched their children and each other in relief. She smiled weakly as they thanked her and let the pan slip from her fingers. That had been an unbelievably close call.

When her phone rang it took a moment for her to register that that was what it was, she pulled it out of her pocket and saw Caleb's name on the caller id. "Hey. Cutting it a little close there weren't we?"

Caleb's voice was concerned as he answered. "Everyone make it through? Had a hell of a time getting that damn mausoleum opened. Might have been a better idea to switch places. You have more finesse with a lock than I do."

Dani got slowly to her feet and looked over at the still shaken family. "Well. I'm not dead and that's nice." She sighed heavily and leaned against the wall. "You coming to pick me up?"

"I'm on my way."

As Dani hung up her phone the father stood up and reached out to grasp her hand. "I am so sorry that I thought you were crazy." He took a deep breath and looked back down at his family. "Thank you for saving our girls."

"It's really fine. I think most people would have that reaction to the situation." Dani ran a hand through her hair and wondered what had happened to her hair tie. She dropped her hand and shoved both of them deep into her pockets. "You guys should be ok now. My uh, my ride is on his way."

"Please, is there anything we can do for you? Money?" The man reached for his wallet and Dani held out a hand to stop him.

"It's ok. That isn't why we do this. We're just happy you all are all right." She smiled down at the kids and then nodded at the door. "I think I left some stuff in your yard." She started to head out and then stopped and turned back. "And seriously, get some salt. Mrs. Dash might be good for your blood pressure, but it won't help if you run into something like this again."

"Salt. Right." He watched in somewhat of a daze as she left the house and a set of headlights pulled into their driveway.

Dani smiled over at Caleb as she climbed into the passenger seat. He pulled away from the house and headed for her truck. "I appreciate the assist Caleb. Very happy to not be dead."

Caleb chuckled and shook his head. "Well. Your mother would haunt me to my grave if I let you die on a simple ghost hunt."

They rode on in silence for a while before Caleb spoke again, "So where are you off to after this? Got another job lined up?"

"No. I'm heading to Omaha. Need to see my mom." Dani started digging through her bag for her keys as they drew closer to where she had parked the camper.

"And how is she doing?" Caleb kept his eyes on the road to give Dani time to answer his question without him observing her.

Dani chewed on her lip for a moment and then shook her head. "About the same." She drew a deep breath and stared out the window. "I should have gotten there sooner."

"You know better than that Danielle." Caleb looked at her out of the corner of his eye and stopped speaking at her slightly sullen shrug. He pulled up next to her truck and watched as she opened the door and slid out, "You keep in touch now."

She smiled up at him, "You too. Thanks again."

After he had pulled away Dani climbed into her own truck and started it. She rolled her shoulders and stretched her neck before putting it in gear and starting down the road. She decided to drive until she was too tired to go on before stopping to rest. She was still wired from the adrenaline and hoped she'd make it most of the way.


	2. Bad Habit

**A/N- Again, I own nothing but my own characters. I know I posted the prologue tonight, but thought a double post was in order since that was a little small. **

**Please read and enjoy. **

Dani was reasonably sure that she was going to die. Again. The fact that she felt that way so often was really beginning to grate on her nerves. She was running full tilt through the dark forest on two legs, two legs that seemed to be having difficulty cutting through the thick fog that roiled and twisted around them. The sounds of pursuit were closing in on all sides and she knew she only had a handful of seconds before they reached her.

She racked her brain for knowledge of why she was being chased; it didn't seem to make any sense. Dani felt the fog grasping at her legs and had a moment to register that it was happening and that that was a distinctly odd thing for fog to be doing before she was pitched forward and hit the ground hard.

When the ground gave beneath her like some strange sponge, she frowned and lifted her head to look around. She was no longer in the forest and there was silence around her. It seemed she had left her pursuers behind in the forest. As she looked around the empty plain that now surrounded her, it finally occurred to her that this was a dream.

The fact that this was only now dawning on her was perhaps a little sad she thought as she rose slowly to her knees and then to her feet. This was not like her usual dreams however… She could still feel the world around her in a very visceral way that was not common for her in sleep. Even the moisture of the dew on the grass seeping into the knees of her jeans and the chill that accompanied it was incredibly real. She brushed off her hands and the front of her shirt as she noted the bits of dirt and grass that clung to her and looked around curiously.

Seeing nothing compelling in any direction, Dani felt a little at a loss as to what she should be doing. Now that she was aware that she was in a dream, she half expected to wake up. She closed her eyes and spun in circles for a moment then started walking in the direction she was facing when her eyes opened.

The reality of her surroundings was making her uncomfortable. It was reminiscent of her single, failed attempt at a vision quest. She tried then to remember what she had been doing before she had fallen asleep and really couldn't think of anything special. Just pulled off the road and climbed into bed. She squinted as she thought she saw something other than empty space in the distance. It was a low flickering light that made her think of fire.

She picked up her pace and was gratified to see the fire get closer. Perhaps a bit quicker than it was supposed to. She cursed the fact that even in a dream that felt this real, perspective was incredibly wonky. It was disconcerting.

Dani frowned as she was suddenly in front of a very creepy cabin. Monumentally creepy. The fence surrounding the little house appeared to be made of human bones, and the light she had seen in the distance was emanating from the eyes of several skulls that were stuck on the tops of the femur fence posts.

As her eyes flicked up past the fence to look at the house it suddenly lifted into the air and started to spin, slow at first then speeding up until the windows and door were a blur of movement. She looked down away from the disorienting blur that was the house to see that it was suspended on legs. Bird legs.

She frowned in confusion, trying to figure out why that seemed important and was startled to find herself shooting up in bed fast enough to rap her head on the ceiling.

Cursing, Dani swung her legs over the edge of the mattress and dropped to the floor of the small camper. She crossed to the little fridge and pulled out a beer. She thought that after a freaky dream like that she deserved some alcohol. She drank deeply as she paced the small walkway between the counter and the dinette table.

Dani tossed the bottle in the sink and sat down at the table with her head in her hands. She needed to get on the road sometime this morning, but she was not too thrilled about either her destination or her current mindset.

No point putting things off, it just made things worse and prolonged. Dani stood and moved to get dressed before continuing her drive.

* * *

After signing in at the desk, Dani made her way through the depressing surroundings of the retirement home to her mother's room.

She stood in the doorway for a long moment just looking at her before she sighed and stepped inside. She sat down across from her and smiled as she reached for her mother's hand. "Hey momma." She moved her head to try to catch her mother's eye and tried not to be too disappointed when it didn't work.

Dani reached for the book that was resting on her mother's bedside table and opened it to where they had left off the last time she was here.

When the aide came in later to take her mother to dinner, Dani stood and smiled at her before stooping to kiss her mother on the cheek. "I'll see you next month mom."

She left the building after stopping at the front desk to talk to the nurse for a moment. Her mother's condition was unchanged. And was likely to continue that way indefinitely.

Dani walked through the parking lot to her truck and climbed behind the wheel. She stared out at the building in the distance for a long beat before shaking her head and starting the engine. She needed to get drunk.

Putting the truck into gear she left the parking lot and headed for the nearest bar.

* * *

When Dani woke up the following morning she stared at the unfamiliar ceiling in some confusion before it registered that there was someone next to her.

Shit. She turned her head slightly to look at the person laying on his stomach and winced as memories of the previous evening came back to her. She was never going to drink vodka again. Trying to move without disturbing the guy whose name she wasn't quite able to remember, Dani stood and started looking for her clothes. She cursed under her breath at the fact that she seemed to be missing one of her shoes.

She silently moved to the bathroom and shut the door behind her. When she came out she cringed inwardly to find her new friend awake. When he looked up and smiled awkwardly it weirdly made her feel better. She met his smile with an awkward one of her own.

"Hey." He was wearing a pair of plaid pajama pants and a t shirt now and he was holding her shoe. He held it out to her. "I believe this is yours."

Dani took the shoe and stood there with it for a moment before she cleared her throat and gestured with the shoe. "So… I uh…" She trailed off, not sure what to say. This was really not something she did often. Or ever. She decided to just be direct, that usually seemed to work for her. "Well this isn't awkward at all."

He laughed and she smiled back, enjoying the way his eyes crinkled when he smiled. Still smiling he nodded and held out his hand. "I am kind of unsure how one is supposed to act in these situations. I'm Devon. In case you don't really remember that." He smiled crookedly and went on. "I am ashamed to say that I don't really remember your name."

Dani took his hand with her free one and shook it. "Dani. Uh, Danielle." She dropped her hand to her side again and shifted on her feet. "I'm a little at a loss as well."

Devon picked up the room service menu and held it out to her. "How about breakfast?"

Taking the menu, Dani looked down at it and then up at him. She couldn't quite decide what to do. On one hand, this was a bad idea. This man knew nothing about her, and was a complete mundane. She wasn't really sure that she still knew how to act around people like that. On the other hand… She found that she really wanted to stay. His energy felt so honest and clean. Safe even. Coming to a decision she nodded. "Breakfast sounds good."

He watched as she sat down at the little table and let her shoe drop to the floor beside her. Devon could tell that she had almost declined and he was a little surprised at how happy he was that she hadn't.

Dani turned her head slightly as she heard him go into the bathroom and she took a deep breath. She looked around the room and took note of the small suitcase and the stack of books on the dresser. She tried to remember what he had said he did for a living. And for that matter what she had said in regards to herself. She looked down at the menu and frowned at it. This was a bad idea.

She had almost talked herself into sneaking out when he came out of the bathroom and sat across from her. He smiled and gestured at the menu. "Anything look good?"

"You know… I'm not really sure…" She paused as his face fell a little and she amended her statement. Not really sure why she was having these issues saying no to him. "I'm not really sure I feel like room service. There's a Denny's attached to the lobby apparently." She waved the menu then dropped it to the table.

Devon nodded and stood. "Sure. That sounds fine. Let me find my shoes."

Dani leaned over to put her own shoe on and then picked up her bag and pulled out her phone. She had a text from a number she couldn't quite place. Looked like coordinates. She looked up and smiled as Devon gestured for her to leave the room first. She slipped the phone back into her bag and they left together.

After they were seated and the server had poured them coffee and left the pot, Dani took a long drink and winced as the hot liquid burnt her tongue. Oh well, that kinda disguised the burnt taste of the old coffee.

She set the cup down and pushed her menu aside. When she looked up at him she caught him looking at her. He smiled at being caught looking at her and set his own menu on top of hers. "So. Dani. What do you do? Aside from beating my friends and I at pool that is."

Dani tilted her head to the side and toyed with the coffee cup. "I didn't mention anything about that last night?" At his head shaking no, she took a drink and decided what to say. She was pretty sure she was still carrying the badge she used for her last case. That would work. "I'm a U.S. Marshal."

Devon smiled, "Well, that makes me feel better about the gun anyway." He took a drink of his own coffee and the waitress stopped by for their orders. After she left he carried on like they hadn't been interrupted. "I am a teacher. Here for a continuing education seminar." He looked a little uncomfortable again. "I'm actually supposed to go home this afternoon."

She nodded, "You know, I think I actually remember that." She leaned back as their food arrived and reached for her silverware. She was feeling a lot more clearheaded since the coffee had had some time to work through her system. She was also feeling relieved and oddly disappointed that he was not going to be around town when she visited her mom next month. She pushed her food around on her plate and looked up at him. "So where is home?"

"Chicago." He took a bite of his omelet and washed it down with coffee. He pushed his plate aside, not really feeling like eating. He looked at the woman sitting across from him and smiled slightly. "So where is home for you? I think last night you said something about being a turtle."

Dani laughed, choking slightly on the drink she had just taken. She took a drink of water and waved away his concern. "I'm good. And yeah. I remember saying that." She shook her head and breathed deeply, coughing. "I think I was referring to the fact that I live in a camper." At his odd look, she went on. "I move around a lot because of work, and I don't really like motel rooms."

Devon smiled wryly. "Well that makes sense I suppose." He looked at his watch and a slightly pained expression crossed his face.

"You know, I get it that you need to go." Dani took a drink of her coffee and started looking out for the waitress. She looked over at him and smiled. "I can take care of this... On Uncle Sam."

He stood up and nodded slowly. "You know… If your work ever takes you to Chicago…" He pulled out his cell phone and opened his mouth to keep talking.

Dani stood and held her bag, digging through it for a business card. One that said U.S. Marshal. She cursed herself for not saying FBI at this point as she flipped through six of those. Finally she found one and held it out to him. "Here, my cell is on this."

Devon nodded. "I'll call so you'll have my number in your caller id." They stood awkwardly for a moment before she waved slightly and he left, pausing to look over his shoulder at her before he walked out the door.

Sitting back down in the booth, Dani let out a long sigh before pulling out her laptop. She looked up as the server came by and cleared the plates, then looked back at the screen. It was time to check out the coordinates from the text she had received.

She looked at the number it had come from and checked in her journal to find that it had come from one of John Winchester's back up phones. That was odd. He didn't usually kick cases her way. She found out her destination and snapped the computer shut before paying the bill and leaving.


End file.
